In a data center, several storage systems, each having a plurality of disk drives, are connected in a communication network. The storage system is managed typically by an administrator who monitors and maintains the integrity of the storage system by attending to problems that arise from time to time.
For example, when a disk drive in a storage system or subsystem fails, the administrator will attempt to determine and correct the problem. A failure in some systems is identified by way of a status indicator light (e.g., LED) that changes color, for example, from green to amber on the faulty drive. In some storage systems, a software-based indicator may be also implemented to alert the system administrator by displaying a notification on a user interface device, such as a computer monitor.
Both of the above alert mechanisms are inadequate solutions in data centers with a large number of drives. An LED indicator can pose a problem for a color-blind person who cannot distinguish the difference in color variations. And, the software-based indicator typically does not provide an administrator with sufficient information to physically and quickly locate a target drive, making the task of identifying a particular drive among a great plurality of drives in the event of a failure quite difficult.
As such, finding one or more drives in a data center with multitudes of storage systems and subsystem may be a daunting task. Methods and systems are needed that can overcome the aforementioned shortcomings.